Friedman Benda is pleased to announce Voice of Silence, the fourth solo exhibition by Korean artist and master craftsman Byung Hoon Choi, opening on March 27th. Renowned for his work that draws on Zen Buddhist and Taoist philosophies of balance, as well as Korean Dolmen from the Archaic period, Choi now presents a new body of work that deepens his explorations of stillness and silence.
Merging traditional Korean craftsmanship with contemporary design, Choi uses stone and wood to seek a form of realism that excludes artificiality and embraces natural beauty. The exhibition will feature new wooden works inspired by the classical scholar ethos of the Joseon Dynasty. Shown for the first time outside of Korea, these cabinets pay homage to Choi’s Korean cultural heritage, particularly its emphasis on natural beauty and minimal design. By using wood and natural stone bases to evoke shapes and patterns found in nature, he offers a contemplative vision of the quiet grace and unadorned beauty of the natural world.
The basalt works embody a compelling dialogue between the ancient, weathered surface of the stone—formed millions of years ago—and the contemporary polish brought by the artist’s hand. Describing these pieces as “silent messages,” Choi views them as a meditation on both the physical properties of the stone and the geological evolution of Earth itself. His ongoing use of the title Afterimage of Beginning reflects this concept. As he states, “stone is a lingering afterimage of the origin,” and these works invite the viewer to pause, contemplate, and experience a moment of stillness within the vastness of existence.
“The materials I use, whether it’s the cool hardness of basalt or the warmth of wood, each carries its own history and energy,” Choi explains. “My process is about finding harmony in their contrasts and celebrating the quiet beauty that emerges from these natural forms.” These new works are grounded in the raw, elemental qualities of natural materials; highlighting nature’s inherent beauty and finding their balance through the artist’s intervention.
A reflection of Choi’s personal philosophy of harmony—a “middle-way,” as he calls it—, these works seek balance and evoke a sense of stillness and silence. It is through a culturally and philosophically rich understanding of beauty that Byung Hoon Choi masterfully accomplishes the seemingly impossible: giving silence a distinct voice.
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About Byung Hoon Choi
A pioneer who synthesizes traditional Korean craft and contemporary design, Byung Hoon Choi’s work is both sculptural and functional. Employing natural materials such as wood, clay, granite and stone, Choi’s practice is rooted in craft traditions of Korea while evoking a global and transhistorical frame of reference. Each composition is a meticulous balance between the rough and the smooth, the natural and the human-made, the historical and the present.
Born in Gangwon-do, South Korea in 1952, Byung Hoon Choi graduated from Hongik University with a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Fine Arts and completed a Masters of Fine Art in 1979. Throughout his career, Choi has been devoted to fostering education and scholarship in the field. In 1977, he founded an association of young artists, The Society for the Creation of Decorative and Applied Arts, which had a profound effect on defining the future of applied arts in Korea. After 27 years of tenure, he retired from teaching as an honorary professor at Hongik University. Choi has travelled extensively around the world drawing inspiration from ancient civilizations, and this lifelong passion to explore different traditions and cultures continues to inform his approach.
His work is held in numerous collections throughout the world, including the Korean Culture and Art Foundation; M+ Museum, Hong Kong; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, as well as Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein.
Choi’s installation works are also visible to the public around the world, including Scholar’s Way (2018) commissioned by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX; Afterimage of the beginning 2023 (2024) for the National Museum of Qatar, Doha; and most recently, arcadia choi (2024) in Paju Book City, Korea.
